Get The Facts On State Regulations

Large livestock operations are getting a refresher when it comes to state regulation oversight and their operations. Kevin Erb, Director, Conservation Professional Training Program, Natural Resources Institute is coordinating the event.

Extension and DNR are jointly hosting a series of four virtual workshops for livestock producers, key employees and their consultants 9:30-11:30 am Feb 2-5, with sessions for both farms considering expanding to WPDES (CAFO permit) size, and management aspects for those who already have a permit.

The Feb 2 session’s theme is First -Time Permit Considerations. DNR staff will discuss the permit process, when a permit is needed, and a panel of county LWCD staff and private sector engineers will talk about money and time-saving changes that farmers should consider before starting the process. The morning wraps up with a panel discussion featuring several farms who’ve gone though the process in the past few years.

The remaining 3 sessions in the series are primarily for existing permit holders, but are open to those looking at applying for a permit in the future.

The focus for the Feb 3 session is Nutrient Management, and features Discovery Farm and DNR staff presentations on tile drainage in manured fields, assessing fields prior to application, and avoiding common mistakes in nutrient management plan paperwork.

February 4th’zeros in on Production Area Management—reducing manure application costs and storage size with innovative ways to keep clean water clean. Presentations include feed storage runoff and the economics and & animal health aspects of a roof over calf hutches. Like the first day, this session ends with a panel discussion of livestock producers who’ve made a variety of changes to reduce the amount of runoff in their manure storage.

The theme for the final day, Friday, Feb 5, is Managing for the Future. Featured presentations include what’s required when you want to discharge clean water from your manure treatment system, the design/review process for permitted farms, the nutritional considerations of feeding cover crops, and managing the non-manure components of your manure.

For more information, visit  https://go.wisc.edu/p241p7 or email [email protected]